I Loved You, But -2

All things in the world have an end.

Every story has a conclusion.

What has no end cannot be called a creation, and what has no conclusion cannot be called a story.

“…”

“Um, I feel strange…”

Then, if this universe and world were merely someone’s creation, would the end of the world look like this?

The place we arrived at was a vast universe, enough to make such idle thoughts arise.

Universe? Actually, I’m not sure. Just an infinitely dark space with only a few stars twinkling.

Beyond the door, there was only such a space.

An infinitely dark and lonely space.

The boundary between inside and outside the door became blurred. Even the place where we stood was enveloped in cosmic darkness.

The Demon King, who fainted first, was taken care of, and we gathered in a circle, standing back-to-back.

We remained silent for a long time, unable to find words. Everyone must have been overwhelmed by this sight.

The first to speak was Black Heart, the dragon.

“This is ridiculous… Hey, what exactly were you all trying to fight against?”

As if to answer the dragon’s murmur, a voice echoed in our heads.

‘Welcome to the deepest part of the Demon Castle.’

“Where are you speaking from?”

“Let’s listen for now.”

The voice continued without interruption.

The sticky voice became an echo, constantly insinuating inside our heads, becoming a small whisper and shaking us.

Around that point, I made a judgment.

There was no more value in listening further.

We came here not to have a conversation, but to eliminate him.

“…Why don’t you just come out and fight? We’ve already dealt with all your subordinates.”

‘I was certainly surprised. You did quite well.’

“Is that all? You’re so calm even though it’s about to be your turn.”

‘Even if you say so, you’re looking quite unwell.’

“Can’t be helped. So come out quickly. You didn’t call us here to play, did you?”

‘Yes, that’s right. Well then.’

Clap, clap.

A rabbit doll walks out, clapping its hands.

A face I’m sick of seeing.

“You all have worked hard, indeed.”

The magical girls flinched at the sight of the rabbit finally revealing itself properly.

“Is that…”

“Unnie’s father…?”

“…Tch, I’m starting to feel bad.”

Looking at Iris, who openly expressed her displeasure, the rabbit doll stretched out its hand.

“Our Noah. Should daddy pat your head after such a long time?”

“…Get away.”

“Or should we go eat some soup together? Noah, you really love soup.”

“…Shut up.”

“Then how about going to the amusement park with daddy that Noah wanted to go to-“

“I said shut up!!”

Bang!

The rabbit doll exploded from a punch delivered with starlight. It was a momentary instant. As cotton fluff flew away like snowflakes, Iris murmured, seeing this.

“…You’re not my dad. I decided so. For me, I never had a dad in the first place.”

Though she said this, her voice was full of tears.

“…Get up. I know well that you won’t die from something like this.”

“Hahaha… you’re too harsh. I don’t remember raising you so roughly…”

“…This is because of you. I fought tremendously to earn money for your medical treatment.”

“I see, it seems the brainwashing education to make you a good child worked properly.”

“…”

“Look, even now your eyes don’t waver.”

“…No, enough, be quiet.”

Noah shook her head vigorously.

“I’ll have to see how far that resolve goes.”

Just as the mocking laughter was heard again at that moment.

“Now, look.”

The rabbit doll’s stomach was torn open, and something unpleasant revealed itself-

“I didn’t think I’d have to go this far.”

Eyes like empty holes, unpleasant tentacle-like things swaying like willows. Snow-white hair and a pitch-black body.

Disgusting pieces of flesh circling around, giggling and floating.

What emerged from tearing the doll was something difficult to consider human.

The rabbit doll was somewhat strange, but at least it had only two eyes. This one sent gazes with an uncountable number of eyes, scattering malicious glances.

That wasn’t all.

‘I tell you this place will become your grave.’

The unpleasant voice had become almost a curse, beyond mere unpleasantness. A voice that made you want to tear your ears off just from hearing it.

Though we covered our ears, it still echoed in our heads.

‘I have become the destroyer of the world and death itself.’

It was a large and vast wave.

That being would strike intensely and turn the world into a wasteland; I was merely a small boat before it.

When I opened my eyes to regain my senses, there was a wall.

I was trapped and pressed in a small cubic room.

‘This is fate. Even if you struggle, you cannot avoid it. You can only follow. You can only flow with it. That’s why it’s fate.’

I started to suffocate.

Though I tried to breathe, was what I was breathing now oxygen?

Oxygen yet not oxygen, the more I breathed in something unknowable, the more my lungs ached.

The experience of having one’s survival instinct as a living being ignored and trampled. A thorough desecration that even robbed the right to continue living.

Was it fate that was gradually tightening, as if this were a predetermined path? That we would ultimately face a bad ending?

After struggling so much, even going as far as acting as a villain, fighting for Noah. This is fate?

If this is truly fate…

“…Ha.”

Fuck that.

Crack-!!!

“Khaha… hak!! This fucking hurts…!”

The excruciating pain of breaking my finger brought my mind back to reality.

“Wake up!!!”

I swung my tentacles around like sweeping.

The magical girls, caught in the heavy tentacles, rolled on the floor, and somehow regained their senses and struggled to stand up.

“Ugh… what was that just now…?”

“It seems like a mental attack.”

“What is this… it doesn’t make sense…”

Stella’s muttered words represented everyone’s feelings. We had merely conversed. With just that, everyone had lost their minds and floundered.

Iris gritted her teeth at the sight that seemed to have swallowed all the black light of this world.

“…To think I considered something like that my father…”

“Welcome to my space. This is a power I specially prepared for this final battle.”

“Power specially prepared…”

“Noah… no, Iris. Have you ever thought about where your starlight power came from?”

“My power?”

In response to Iris’s puzzled voice, a kahahat laugh answered.

“It came from me. You are not only a copy of her… but also a copy of my ability. More precisely, a copy of us.”

“…So, what are you trying to say?”

“You cannot win.”

“What?”

“Do you think a copy can defeat the original?”

Just as Iris was about to refute that.

“Let me show you directly. The original form of your ability.”

“…Ah…”

“…Do-dodge!”

It was a meteor.

Since it’s space, the expression “sky” might be awkward, but it would be correct to say meteors were falling from the sky above.

A large number of meteors starting to pour down from a distant place. It was like a meteor shower.

Meant to sweep away all the insignificant beings below.

“…Tch!”

The first to react was Stella with her good eyesight.

“With starlight…!”

Starlight leaving the bowstring collided with the meteors, causing explosive sounds.

Next was Black Heart.

“Cut!”

Releasing the shape of a dragon, not a snake, she sent a sword aura far to cut the meteors.

I also brought out tentacles, but they were useless. All I could do was provide a small fleshy wall.

Naturally, with too few hands, Iris threw starlight with her fists, but she was gradually reaching her limit.

It was unreasonable to oppose this massive violence.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Iris flew up high.

After closing her eyes and gathering power, then opening them.

“Big Bang!”

A massive explosion.

Light formed a barrier, turned white, and then annihilated everything it touched, like a defensive wall.

However.

“Now, once more.”

Those meteors fell two, three times in succession.

“Ugh… kyaaaaaa!!”

A scream erupted from Iris’s mouth as she blocked them. It was a scream rarely heard.

Big Bang was an instantaneous and enormous explosion. It was difficult to even imagine how much strain it would put on her body to maintain it for minutes.

To block the meteors falling from all directions, the burden inevitably concentrated on her.

To help her endure a little longer, I moved my tentacles and stuck them into Noah’s body like a syringe.

As I transferred magic, she was able to endure, but…

“…Kuhuk…”

Even I was feeling the strain.

Blood was coming from my clenched teeth, and bloody tears were flowing from my eyes. These were typical symptoms of depletion.

When the metallic taste in my mouth was at its peak.

“It… it’s over…”

Iris finally succeeded in enduring.

She had managed to eliminate all the falling meteors.

This was something to rejoice about, but…

“This is just the beginning.”

The monster had only used a few spells at most.

Realizing this, I remained vigilant, and at some point realized. The surroundings, already dark, had become even darker, obscuring our vision.

A giant mouth was coming to swallow us-

The monster, having enlarged its body enormously, transformed into a predator simply by opening its mouth, approaching to devour everything in front of it.

Just as it was about to close its mouth.

“Kkomul-i! Four above, four below!”

“Yes!”

Swoosh!

Tentacles pierced the monster’s mouth, above and below, cutting through the air. The mouth that was about to close was somehow firmly kept open and couldn’t easily be shut.

What we saw were disgusting teeth and an endless expanse of darkness.

“How dare you try to eat people!”

When Black Heart tore the gums to pieces with her swordsmanship, only then did the monster retreat and close its mouth.

“Quite impressive.”

“Tch. Now I understand why that pink one was irritated. You really get on people’s nerves.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

As if to indicate there would be no more of this banter, the monster flicked its hand.

Then, the pieces of flesh wandering nearby climbed onto his hand, and in an instant, emitted a flash of light.

Flash!

“…!”

The flash of light grazed right past my head, but what I cared about wasn’t the fact that I nearly died.

‘It sparkled.’

“Now, let’s go once more.”

“Ahjussi, dodge!”

Noah jumps in front of me as I stand still.

Red blood flows from her arm that took the flash instead, but with this, I could tell.

“Essence…!”

The moment I recalled that word, a thought flashed in my mind. After all, as long as it’s a living being, as long as it’s an organism made of magic, there must be an essence.

In the end, the fundamental nature isn’t that different.

What needs to be done is to break and remove it.

Just as even the strongest living being dies when its heart is destroyed.

Even if it doesn’t die, it might at least cause significant damage or prevent the use of magic.

I whispered to Kyukyu via telepathy.

‘Kyukyu. When that guy shoots, look upward.’

‘Upward?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay.’

Once again, a flash of light gleamed, and this time Stella confronted it with her bow. She managed to block the flash briefly, but.

“Ugh!”

It grazed her left shoulder, and blood splattered with a puff.

‘…! I got it!’

It seems her sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

‘Upward! There are three stars up there that catch attention!’

‘Three?’

‘Yes. Probably one of them is the essence. I’ll tell everyone.’

The magical girls who heard Kyukyu’s words nodded.

‘It’s a simple matter.’

‘Huh? What is?’

I answered Iris’s question.

Three starlight points.

Three magical girls.

Only one is real.

In other words, if we destroy all three, we’ll hit the right one.

‘Go and break them. An eye for an eye, a star for a star. I leave it to you. We can’t win by just dodging.’

‘But…’

‘Please. I’ll somehow hold out here.’

Everyone had hesitant expressions. They didn’t know how long it would take to reach those essences disguised as stars, and they weren’t confident I could endure alone.

But if we continue like this, it would just be a war of attrition. Understanding this, they all quickly departed towards their goals.

“…Hmm?”

“What are you looking at from down there? Trying to see the girls’ panties?”

“No, I’m surprised. To think you’d find the solution so quickly.”

“Well, I’m used to solving challenges. Nervous?”

“Well… I wonder if they will arrive properly.”

The monster gives an eerie smile.

“Before that.”

“…Kuk!”

“I’m truly curious. What reaction would one show if a person they trusted suddenly turned into a murderer trying to kill them?”

The monster’s voice echoed in my head once more.

I quickly pierced my shoulder with a tentacle.

Excruciating pain rushed in, and my mind awakened again.

“You’re persistent.”

“I’ll endure even if I have to break my fingers. If fingers aren’t enough, then arms next. If arms aren’t enough, then legs. If even that’s not enough, I’ll give my intestines a massage!”

“Is there a reason to go that far?”

Reason?

That’s simple.

“I can’t stand the sight of you.”

A grown adult whining like a child, tormenting children for your own greed.

“Do you know how much Noah suffered because of you!?”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why.”

Shuruuru…

“I can’t stand the sight of you even more. Tormenting someone else’s child.”

Tentacles emerge and aim at the monster.

“I’ll hand over the cool stuff to the kids… as adults, let’s fight in a dirty and underhanded way.”